Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-09-29
TESSY'S REAL DOLLY.
The Wretchedness Caused by One Mans
MeanneSs.

The Wretchedness Caused by One Mans
MeanneSs.
ooh, muvver! ooh dee, dee" sobbed
little Tessy Turner, hiding her pretty
curly head in her mothers lap, and shak-
ing all over with sobs.
Why, Tessy! what's the matter Stop
cryin' dear; now do stopm
And by way of helping her to obey, the
mother lifted the small girl into her lap,
and gently pulling away the check apron
took corner of it to wipe off the tears
that ran like the drip of a summer rain
out of Tessy's blue, sweet eyes.
Mrs. Turner was not given to kissing,
or oaressing of any kind; she only
stroked the fair hair with her rough
hand, and held her baby closer to her
bosom with the other; but the close pres
sure, and the dear motherly face bent
over her meant "mother" to Tessy in all
the fulIness sof that blessed word. She
began to grow calner, to swallow the
lump in her throat, to wink away the
slower falling tears, and in two minutes
managed to say, brokenly: "Oh, muvver!
My skosh dolly's all b'eaked to pieces.
Bose jumped up when | tame in, an tum-
bled me down, and dolly vented over en-
the 'teps and b'eaked, an! an! oh dee
dee! My dolly's beaded all up"
Again the tears and sobs got the mas
terry. Mrs Turner's head ached for her
own dolly, who was so bereaved in the
unSimely end of the ''skosh" doll. The
TuAners were poor farmers in the hill
country of New England, barely living
on the produce of the few acres. Most
of the butter and eggs, all the spring
chickens and fatted turkeys went to the
"store" in the next village, and exchanged
for clothing and few groceries. Tessy
was the only living CHILD. Two or three
had come and gone before her, victims TO
a damp celler, 10 sink drain, scant and
poor food, and Initiated air III the house
whore every crack was puttied or pepered
over, or stuffed with rags, ell the long
winter in order TO keep out the bitterness
of the cold.
When Tessy was born the old doctor
who had dosed her brothers and sisters
with various ancient sorts of medicine,
was on his death bed, and his spruce
young successor insisted on flannel, milk
and fresh ale for the baby; so she grew
up into tolerably hardy and very happy
child, the idol of that household who re-
garded her with as much fear as love,
dreading lest she, too, should go like her
brothers and sisters. But she lived and
laughed, and made joyful slaves of her
patient mother and her grim, hard
working father. She had no toys, but
made herself play house" in the rocks
on the hillside by the side door of her
home, gay with bits of blue and yellow
crockery, fragments of glass, bits of red
calico, and a bright blue cricket" as
they called footstools in that day, on
which she sat and surveyed her posses
sions, sang to her doll, and administered
catnip tea in clam shell to the black and
yellow kitten that divided her affections
with her vegetable baby. For Tessy's
doll was neither more nor less than a
long necked go aash, dressed in some of
her old baby clothes; its eyes we're long
cuts in the top of the neck-indeed the
whole face was rudely outlined in the
same way-but Tessy, like the Marchlo-
ness, s'made believe a good DEAL" and
loved the awkward creature she tended
and rocked, and tucked up in bed every
night in the corner of the kitchen settle
Just as much as if it had been wax lady
from Paris, with a gorgeous wardrobe IN
In a real trunk.
Mrs. Turner did not really think The
child could be so fond of her squash; she
longed to buy Tessy doll from a city
shop that should have an aspect of hui
mainly, and be good thing TO dress and
undress, and pleasure TO the child for
all her child life; but Mrs. Turner had
no money TO spare for trities; however,
she had given Tessy white chicken when
the little girl was three years old, and as
soon as it began to lay, the price of every
egg was laid aside for Tessy's doll. 1t
was February now, and the pullet's
second season of usefulness was Just be-
ginning; the squashes were all gone ex-
cept few round green Hubbards, but
Mrs. Turner counted on enough eggs OF
the white hen to sell before May TO in
crease the sum she had already so much
that she could buy the long-desired doll
With this hope she comforted Tessy, and
held before the child's Frightening eyes
a gorgeous vision of a real dorly with
arms and legs and & rosy face. SO Tessy
Rugged her kitten oftener than ever, and
dreamed her day dreams of the coming
treasure like older and wiser people.
Now while Tessy was crying and being
comforted, Enoch Turner was wrangling
out in the home-lot with 'Biiah Persons,
who owned the next farm. 'Biiah was
the s'meanest'' man in Dalton, TO every
body even to his wife, though he had a
great farm, and every year sold so much
corn, and hay, and wood, and apples
that he laid up money in the bank. But